Working with Picklists

A Picklist is a field that can contain a list of values. It appears as a dropdown list when displayed.

Create a Picklist

1. Click Designer > Data > Objects > {object} > Fields
2. Click [New Field]
3. Provide the information in the sections below.
4. Click [Save]
   The field is added, and the field-definition is shown. You can now Manage and Reorder Values to specify display text and colors, images, and grouping labels.

Basic Information

Specify the basic characteristics of the field:

• Label - The text that appears as the field name
• Display Type - Picklist
• Picklist Values - For a simple Picklist that returns the same values it displays, with no special colors, images, or groups for the display values, you can simply enter the values, as shown here:

Otherwise, wait until the Picklist has been created, then Manage and Reorder Values.

• Maximum Storage Length - The String length of the longest value in the list.
• Use First Value as Default - Otherwise, the field is initially empty.
• Sort List Alphabetically - Otherwise, you manually arrange the order.
• Always Required - A selection must be made when adding or updating a record.
• Field Name - Automatically created by the system (but you can change it here)

Display Attributes

Determine where the field is displayed in the default form, and whether or not the field is required when adding or updating a record.

Default Value

In general, the default value you specify will be a simple String. For example: 'rush'. But it is also possible to select functions and specify arguments, creating a formula expression that returns the default value.

Considerations

• The default value must resolve to the value of an entry in the list of enumerated items (not a label).
• If the value resolves to a string which is not in the list of the enumerated items, it is as though no default were specified. Nothing is pre-selected in the Enumerated Field.

Role-Based Field Visibility

Set Field Visibility based on Role. This option defines the Roles that are permitted to view and use the designated Field. Available field settings include:

• Visible
• Read-Only
• Hidden

This control is created when a Field is Added to an object.

Learn more: Visibility Controls

Considerations

• When a field is added to a Form, the field visibility control is set to Visible by default
• When a new role is added, that role receives Visibility rights to all the fields across all the objects
• When this control is specified for a field, it will be enforced in the Field Audit Log; This means that the user Role determines whether a record is visible in an Audit Log

Description Information

Include a description of the field and its use. This information is only visible to users with rights to customize this field.

Manage and Reorder Values

Specify Display Text, Colors, Images, and Grouping Labels

The Enumerated Values section of the field-definition page lets you specify display-text, colors, images, and grouping labels, as well as the values returned by user selections:

Note: These options are available only when viewing an enumerated field, not when editing it.

Click [Manage Values] to specify display text, color, images, and grouping labels.

• Fields

Alphanumeric Characters are allowed in labels and values, including special characters (+ / ' - _) and spaces.

• Display Label - The label to display in the list.
• Value - The actual value that is stored in a record (or returned to a program) when this item is chosen from the list.
• Image - Specify an image to display (learn more below)
• Show only Image in View mode - Whether to show the image alone, or together with the label.
• Font color - Foreground color
• Background color - Color of the area in which the text is displayed
• Use Label for grouping - The specified label becomes a heading in the list, rather than a selectable value (learn more below)

• Specify images

To specify images, first upload them to the platform as Documents. This example shows records that were created after selecting such images from a picklist:

• 

  Fruit and Vegetable are group labels

  Specify grouping labels

Click Use Label for Grouping to use a label as a group indicator, rather than making it a selection the user can click.

This option is useful when a picklist is long, and can be organized into groups.

Considerations

• The Use Label for grouping option is available only for Picklists
• After the Use Label for grouping option is selected, the Sort List Alphabetically option is reset to No (otherwise, the label won't be helpful).
• If the Use Label for grouping option is selected, the enumerated values are not available for dependent field associations.

Reorder Values

In the Enumerated Values section of the field-definition page, click [Reorder Values] to change the order in which the values appear:

Note: Reordering can be done only when the Sort List Alphabetically option is unchecked.